Chapter XVI · Phone and communicationsA1
305Dialogue · A1
Answering the phone at home
Situation
The phone rings at your home. You answer, and it's your partner's friend calling. This dialogue shows the basic expressions of a call between individuals.
The roles
- The friendListen
Allô !
Hello!
- YouListen
Allô ?
Hello?
- The friendListen
Bonjour, c'est Nathalie. Est-ce que Marc est là ?
Hello, it's Nathalie. Is Marc there?
- YouListen
Bonjour Nathalie. Non, il n'est pas là. Il est sorti faire des courses.
Hello Nathalie. No, he's not here. He went out to run errands.
- The friendListen
D'accord. Est-ce que je peux lui laisser un message ?
All right. Can I leave him a message?
- YouListen
Bien sûr, je vous écoute.
Of course, I'm listening.
Simplifiez votre vie au Québec · Simplify your life in Quebec
Answering the phone at homeDialogue 305
- The friendListen
Dites-lui que j'appellerai demain matin, vers dix heures.
Tell him I'll call tomorrow morning, around ten.
- YouListen
Demain matin, vers dix heures. C'est noté, je lui dirai.
Tomorrow morning, around ten. Noted, I'll tell him.
- The friendListen
Merci beaucoup. Bonne journée !
Thank you very much. Have a good day!
- YouListen
Bonne journée à vous aussi !
Have a good day too!
Vocabulary
- Allô ?Hello?— The universal way to answer in Quebec
- C'est NathalieIt's Nathalie— Introducing yourself on the phone: "c'est + first name"
- Est-ce que Marc est là ?Is Marc there?
- laisser un messageto leave a message
- Je vous écoute.I'm listening. / Go ahead.— Polite way to invite someone to speak
- C'est noté.Noted.
Culture note
In Quebec, people almost always answer « Allô ? » and introduce themselves by first name: « C'est Nathalie ». Saying « Je vous écoute » is a polite way to invite the caller to speak.
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Answering the phone at homeWeb version ↗Simplifiez votre vie au Québec · Simplify your life in Quebec